Saturday, May 19, 2012

Refashioned Shorts: Men's to Women's

Have you ever seen a pair of men's shorts that you just loved but they didn't fit how you wanted them to because, well...
you're a woman??

I know I have. Sometimes there's just a pattern or a style that is so nice, but I can't find a similar pair in the women's section. What to do??

Hubby has this pair of white and blue striped shorts that we found at the thrift store for $3 a few years ago, but he has never really liked them much. It was one of those things I picked out for him because I liked them, and he wore because I liked them, but he never really loved them. (oops!)

I had them in the pile to go back to the thrift store and walked by them this morning and thought, " Hey why don't I try to alter them so that I can wear them?"

So I did!


Shorts Refashion: Men's to Women's


Here is what the shorts looked like before I did anything to them:



Baggy, too big and kinda sloppy.
I have to tell you, when I was in high school I did wear guys' shorts and liked it, but those days are over. (late 1990's!) I had this pair of camouflage cargo shorts that were so comfy! I'm sure I looked like a thug in them though. ;) 

As a mom, I feel sloppy often enough, I like to look a bit more classy when I can help it! ;)
No baggy surfer shorts around here anymore!

Here is how I altered the shorts:

I found a pair of shorts that fit me well and laid them on top of the bigger shorts.
I wanted to simply alter the width of the men's shorts; not the length so I kept the existing hem on.




Then I traced a line slightly larger than the legs of the khaki shorts; as I wanted this pair to be a bit more loose fitting but not too baggy.

If you look closely, you can see the lighter blue line that I used as a guide to sew along.
In true fashion to my math-hating self, I didn't measure anything, I just freehanded it.
Feel free to measure if you're more comfortable with that. :)

Then I sewed up the lines, and tried the shorts on to make sure they looked okay, 
making adjustments as needed.
I cut the extra fabric off and zigzagged the edges so they wouldn't fray, then they were done!

Now I have another cute pair of shorts, that I can wear two ways!
~Trendy and Current: Rolled up legs and high-waist with a belt:










Or, the more Classic Bermuda Short look:

I only got one picture of this style, because it was the only one that turned out! 


Which do you like better? I like them both, and will probably wear them both ways depending on the day I wear them or if I want to dress them up or down. :)
It's so fun to re-purpose clothing into something new!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend.


~Becca


2 comments:

Leingang Family said...

Ooo! I like your shorts! I need new shorts so badly, I may have to try that! I will be adding you to my Google Reader. Thanks for your nice comment! Oh,and if you're on FB... you can follow me at The Backyard Farmwife. I'm doing a giveaway soon! :o)

Becca Swan said...

I did follow you on FB and adding you to my Google reader- I'm looking forward to seeing your posts! :)